And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
bone.
Genesis 29:14 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month.
Judges 9:2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.
2 Samuel 5:1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
flesh.
Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Woman.
1 Corinthians 11:8,9 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man…
taken.
1 Corinthians 11:8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
Man.
This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
Adam recognizes Eve as part of himself, indicating a profound unity and equality between man and woman. This expression signifies the intimate connection and shared essence between them, reflecting the Hebrew concept of "one flesh" in marriage. It also prefigures the unity of believers with Christ, as seen in Ephesians 5:30-32, where Paul draws a parallel between the marital relationship and the relationship between Christ and the Church.
she shall be called ‘woman,’
The naming of Eve signifies authority and responsibility, as naming in the ancient Near Eastern context often implied dominion or stewardship. The Hebrew word for "woman" (ishah) is closely related to the word for "man" (ish), highlighting their shared nature and mutual dependence. This connection underscores the complementary roles of men and women in God's design.
for out of man she was taken.”
This phrase explains the origin of woman, emphasizing that she was created from man, not as an afterthought, but as an essential counterpart. It reflects the biblical theme of unity and diversity within creation. The creation of Eve from Adam's rib symbolizes equality and partnership, not subordination. This act foreshadows the sacrificial love of Christ, who gave Himself for the Church, His bride, as described in Ephesians 5:25.
“And the man said” (Genesis 2:23a)
• Adam’s first recorded words after God brings Eve reveal immediate recognition and joyful proclamation, showing that speech itself is a gift intended to praise God’s works (Psalm 19:1; Luke 6:45).
• Adam speaks before any hint of sin, modeling how husbands are to lead with thankful words (Ephesians 5:19).
• The declaration follows Adam’s earlier task of naming every creature (Genesis 2:19), underscoring his God-given authority and discernment.
“This is now bone of my bones” (Genesis 2:23b)
• Adam acknowledges that Eve shares his own substance—she is not a separate species but truly one with him (Ephesians 5:30).
• “Now” marks a decisive moment: after finding no suitable companion among the animals, Adam recognizes God’s perfect provision (Genesis 2:20–22).
• The phrase affirms equal dignity: just as Adam is created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), so is Eve, possessing the same worth and calling.
“and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23c)
• Together, “bone” and “flesh” communicate total unity—spiritual, emotional, and physical. Marriage will flow from this reality as “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Mark 10:8).
• The wording anticipates Christ’s relationship with the church: believers are members of His body, “of His flesh and of His bones” (Ephesians 5:29–32).
• Adam’s language sets the foundation for covenant loyalty; injury to one’s spouse is injury to oneself (Malachi 2:14–16).
“she shall be called ‘woman’” (Genesis 2:23d)
• Naming signifies understanding and stewardship. Adam’s choice reflects both similarity and distinction: woman corresponds to man yet has her own identity (1 Corinthians 11:11–12).
• The term adds warmth and honor; Adam immediately embraces Eve as God’s answer to his need for a helper “suitable” for him (Genesis 2:18).
• By vocalizing her title, Adam publicly welcomes her into the created order, setting a precedent for respectful acknowledgment within marriage (1 Peter 3:7).
“for out of man she was taken.” (Genesis 2:23e)
• Eve’s origin from Adam’s side—neither head nor foot—highlights partnership and mutual care (Genesis 2:21–22).
• The phrase safeguards both equality and complementary roles: man and woman share essence yet maintain distinct functions (1 Timothy 2:13; 1 Corinthians 11:3).
• Adam’s words celebrate God’s creative wisdom, encouraging every generation to honor marriage as divinely instituted, not humanly invented (Hebrews 13:4).
Genesis 2:23 records Adam’s spontaneous celebration of God’s gift of Eve. Each phrase underscores their shared substance, inseparable unity, complementary identity, and divinely crafted relationship. The verse grounds the doctrine of marriage, foreshadows Christ’s union with the church, and calls every believer to esteem God’s design for man and woman as good, purposeful, and enduring.
(23) This is now.--Literally, this stroke, or beat of the foot in keeping time. It means, therefore, this time, or colloquially, at last. Adam had long studied the natural world, and while, with their confidence as yet unmarred by human cruelty, they came to his call, grew tame, and joined his company, he found none that answered to his wants, and replied to him with articulate speech. At last, on waking from his trance, he found one standing by him in whom he recognised a second self, and he welcomed her joyfully, and exclaimed, "This at last is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh:" that is, she is man's counterpart, not merely in feeling and sense--his flesh--but in his solid qualities. In several of the Semitic dialects bone is used for self. Thus, in the Jerusalem Lectionary (ed. Miniscalchi, Verona, 1861) we read: "I will manifest my bone unto him" (John 14:21), that is, myself; and again, "I have power to lay it down of my bone" (John 10:18), that is, of myself. So, too, in Hebrew, "In the selfsame day" is "in the bone of this day" (Genesis 7:13). Thus bone of my bones means "my very own self," while flesh of my flesh adds the more tender and gentle qualities.She shall be called Woman (Ishah), because she was taken out of Man (Ish).--Adam, who knew that he was an Ish (see Excursus at end of this book), called the woman a "female Ish." The words of our Version, man and woman (perhaps womb-man), represent with sufficient accuracy the relation of the words in the original.
Verse 23. - And Adam said. Either as being possessed, while in a sinless state, of a power of intuitive perception which has been lost through the fall, or as speaking under Divine inspiration (vide Matthew 19:4-6). This now. Literally, this tread, step, or stroke, meaning either this time, looking back to the previous review of the animal creation, as if he wished to say, At last one has come who is suitable to be my partner (Calvin); or, less probably, looking forward to the ordinary mode of woman's production, this time she is supernaturally formed (Bush). "The thrice repeated this is characteristic. It vividly points to the woman on whom, in joyful astonishment, the man's eye now rests with the full power of first love" (Delitzsch). Instinctively he recognizes her relation to himself. Bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh. The language is expressive at once of woman's derivation from man (γυνὴ ἐξ ἀνδρός, 1 Corinthians 11:8, 12) and likeness to man. The first of these implies her subordination or subjection to man, or man's headship over woman (1 Corinthians 11:3), which Adam immediately proceeds to assert by assigning to her a name; the second is embodied in the name which she receives. She (literally, to this) shall be called Woman (isha, i.e. maness, from ish, man. Cf. Greek, ἀνδρίς (Symmachus), from ἀνήρ; Latin, virago, virae (old Latin), from vir; English, woman (womb-man, Anglo-Saxon), from man; German, manninn, from mann; Sanscrit, hart, from nara; Ethiopic, beesith, from beesi), because she (this) was taken from Man. Ish, the name given by Adam to himself in contradistinction to his spouse, is interpreted as significant of man's authority (Gesenius), or of his social nature (Meier); but its exact etymology is involved in obscurity. Its relation to Adham is the same as that of vir to homo and ἀνήρ to ἄνθρωπος.